County right to seek more $$$ from DOE

Aiken County Council should follow the lead of one of its members, Chuck Smith, in asking the Department of Energy to reassess its fee in lieu of taxes effort for the Savannah River Site.

The county currently receives $808,000 annually from DOE for the use of lands at SRS which have been removed from the tax books.

Smith pointed out recently that it has been more than 15 years since the county has renegotiated the contract with DOE and that other facilities DOE operates receive significantly higher funding.

The Albuquerque, N.M., area will see its offering from DOE increase from $5 million to $8 million, Smith said.

Aiken County Council and the School Board should work in concert to seek a substantial increase in the amount of funding that DOE provides for our county. Aiken County has been extremely supportive of the missions at SRS for more than half a century. Now it is time for the Energy Department to recognize that it has an obligation to the people of this area to provide a funding level in keeping with other sites.

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